Arsenal sends fans berserk worldwide in Newcastle win

Arsenal had to dig deeper on Sunday against Newcastle to get all three 3 points in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta’s team dominated both halves yet found it hard to score. They had a chance to lead when referee Jarred Gillett pointed to the spot after Nick Pope appeared to have brought down striker Victor Gyökeres.

However, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) advised a screen review and the penalty was overturned. In the 34th minute, Newcastle took the lead through Nick Woltemade’s header.

With eight shots on target to Arsenal’s 20th, Eddie Howe’s boys generated only 36% possession at full time. Arsenal, who later won the match, made 495 passes with seven shots on target.

Heading to St. James’s Park, Arsenal and the fans needed a win to pile pressure on Liverpool, who suffered a late-minute 2:1 defeat against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

While the win was almost impossible, Arteta’s deadly substitutes, Mikel Merino and captain Martin Odeegard, changed the game for the visitors. They created deadly chances and pushed Newcastle to defend.

This approach yielded results with Merino equalising in the 84′ minute and Gabriel Magalhaes’ super header in the 90+6′ minute.

These two goals, especially Gabriel’s winner, lifted Arsenal players, fans and coaching staff highly. They turned berserk and felt the sweetness of a late-late win in added time.

“What a moment,” Arteta said of the win. “This is what we do. I think the team was incredible, the way we performed, the way we competed, and at the end, we deserved much more than we were getting.”

Eddie Howe, said after the loss: “The pain is intense.” After six matches in the League, Newcastle has only one win and currently sits 15th.

“The number of corners Arsenal had was probably key for them. I think Odeegard made a difference to their overall performance,” Howe added.

On Sunday October 5, Newcastle will host fellow league strugglers Nottingham Forest while Arsenal will welcome Westham United on Saturday October 4 at 5 pm.